Two run for Pilot Point mayor

By Basil Gist

Staff Writer

Two names for Pilot Point Mayor will appear on ballot for Nov. 8, both of which will be familiar to voters.

Having run against Matt McIlravy in the previous May election, Elisa Beasley returns race alongside acting mayor, Mayor Pro Tem Chad Majors.

Beasley is running on a platform made up of her previous government experience at the state level.

“We’re in a place where we need someone with experience,” Beasley said. “I’ve been in government serving at some level for 14 years.”

Beasley served on Congressman Pat Fallon’s campaign team as communications director and sports an endorsement list which includes Fallon, Senator Drew Springer and House Representatives Jared Patterson and Shelby Slawson.

“We need to stop behaving like the little guys,” Beasley said. “As far as land mass, we are the second largest in Nort Texas. Celina is 67 square miles; Pilot Point is 65. We need to identify ourselves as who we are.”

She further stated the city, as it grows, will need to solidify its understanding of Pilot Point’s different sectors, Old Pilot Point, Horse Country, the Lake Community and New Pilot Point.

“We can’t coat Pilot Point with a huge brush,” Beasley said. “What happens to Pilot Point proper is not going to happen out past 1385, that’s some different growth.”

On the subject of that growth, and how it applies to the city’s current and future residents, Beasley stressed the importance of building relationships with developers in light of the now more stringent property rights legislation.

“I would like to see us sitting with our developers and creating partnerships with them,” Beasley said. “If someone owns land, we are going to play with them, … we would be foolish to say ‘we’re just not going to have dealings with you.’”

Beasley put value on building a ‘culture of service’ in the city government and its staff.

“If I’m allowed to serve, I hope to help generate a culture of servant leadership,” Beasley said. “I hope that culture of service will continue to grow, so it doesn’t matter if there’s new mayors, city managers or staff, if we have a culture of service then we can maintain the course.”

Major, through his career in Corporate America, has developed skills he has seen during his time on council translate well to local government.

“I have over 35 years of experience, in a corporate setting. Your value is based on how well you can bring value to the shareholders,” Major said. “It’s my practical experience in that mold that I feel is going to translate really well.”

He likens the city to a corporation, explaining the citizens are the shareholders, the council the board of directors and the staff the executors.

“Our city manager and staff are the executors, they’re the ones that make this happen,” Major said. “Our council and citizen boards are providing insight, but we’re not the ones that actually do the stuff.”

He explained this applies to interface with developers among other things, further pressing the value of complete and exhaustive planning to protect the city from the growth it can’t control.

“You have to plan for the largest density case; the largest density case for our developments would be if everything developed,” Major said. “What we’re trying to do is keep citizens from bearing the brunt of having to pay for that. It’s going to be paid for by the developer, that’s really critical to me.”

“That’s where the comprehensive plan comes in, it’s time to update that, it’s time to do a reset,” Major said. “Many of the projects that were made in that didn’t come to pass; we’re just now seeing the growth like they predicted back then.”

Major stressed the value of a solid plan to better manage council and staff turnover.

“The interface with the council in this cohesive plan is how we make it a little smoother with turnover,” Major said. “I want to retain the good people we have right now because they are the continuity.”

Early voting for the election begins Monday and will run until election day, Nov. 8. The Senior Center at 310 S. Washington St. will be the voting location for Pilot Point. For more election information, go to votedenton.gov.